The Best Ways to Use Hotel Points in Las Vegas

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When it comes to Las Vegas hotels, most of the time you can generally get some cheap deals, but with the new partnership between Hyatt and MGM announced yesterday that will open up 12 more hotels in Sin City for points earning and redeeming opportunities, I wanted to take a look at what other hotels in Vegas where you can redeem your hard earned hotel points.

In the case of Vegas specifically, while it’s great to have options to use your points, before using them, make sure to check regular room rates and see if the hotels you’re interested in are part of Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts for Amex Platinum cardholders or part of the Visa Signature Hotels program since you can reap a lot of value-added benefits from both of these – and still earn points – while scoring really low room rates at certain times of year. For example, last November, I stayed at Encore and Mandarin Oriental for less than $200 a night and got a ton of perks such as free breakfast and spa credits since I booked through Fine Hotels & Resorts. As with all things points-related, do the math and make sure each redemption makes sense for you.

In the meantime, here’s a roundup of hotels both on (or near) the Strip where you can earn and burn points.

Hilton

Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Hotel.

Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Hotel: Located just off the Strip next to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, this Hilton property is right at the center of the action and features a range of accommodations from studios to spacious four-bedroom suites. The tropical outdoor pool includes a bar, sundeck, whirlpools, and private cabanas while the 170+ shops and restaurants of the Miracle Mile are accessible via an adjoined walkway. City Center and the Cosmpolitan are also just steps away. This is classified as a Distinctive Reward property and is available for 35,000 points per night.

Pool area at the Tropicana Las Vegas.

The Tropicana Las Vegas is part of the Doubletree collection and offers a terrific location toward the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard. This is a Category 6 property and requires 50,000 Hilton HHonors points for a free night redemption (30,000-50,000 seasonally). Room rates in summer begin at $79 a night, so it makes a lot more sense just to pay here at this time of year, so be sure to check rates for your dates..

Hyatt Place Las Vegas: At the moment, this is actually the only Hyatt in Las Vegas and is located about a mile off the Strip near the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas. It has the usual Hyatt Place amenities, including complimentary breakfast and WiFi, and guests can also take advantage of complimentary shuttles to and from the airport and Las Vegas Strip. Rates in the summer start at $99 per night. This is as a Category 2 hotel, so free nights will set you back 8,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night.

Starting June 20, however, Hyatt will enter into its new partnership with MGM Resorts and the M life program, so you’ll be able to earn and redeem points at the following hotels:

The Cosmopolitan: One of Las Vegas’s newest properties, the Cosmopolitan has spacious rooms five hotel bars, thirteen restaurants, a spa, salon, sports bar, casino, shopping, and three separate pool areas. Rates in the summer start at $150 per night (these rates do not include the mandatory resort fee of $25/night). As a Category 8 property, Marriott Rewards members would need to redeem 40,000 points for a free night. They are offering seasonal awards this summer for 30,000 points per night.

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa.

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa: This is a more relaxed off-Strip property located on 54 acres in the western community of Summerlin. Standard rooms are a huge 561 square feet. Guests can enjoy priority rounds at nine other nearby courses, the Aquae Sulis Spa, 12 on-property restaurants, bars, and cafes, and an 11,000 square-foot pool set among palm trees and private cabanas. There is also a complimentary shuttle to the Las Vegas Strip. Rates in the summer begin at $109 per night. Free nights at this Category 6 property require 30,000 points.

The Venetian and The Palazzo: These properties are both part of Priority Club through their partnership with InterContinental and are right on Las Vegas Boulevard. While technically distinct individual properties, they share the same complex and numerous amenities including 16 fine-dining and 23 casual dining restaurants, 9 bars and 3 nightclubs, an on-property Canyon Ranch SpaClub, three pools and an enormous casino as well as numerous high-end shops. Visitors can even take a gondola ride along the property’s replica of the Grand Canal. Rates in the summer begin at $199 per night (not including a $20 resort fee), and free nights for Priority Club members are 50,000 points. The Palazzo is also available on both Visa Signature Hotels and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts; check out my review as a Royal Ambassador here.

The Westin Las Vegas Hotel, Casino, and Spa: Located just off the Strip on Flamingo Road, the Westin Las Vegas has 826 guest rooms, the Casuarina Casino, the Hibiscus Spa and a large outdoor pool. Rates in the summer begin at $109. This is a Category 5 property where free nights require 12,000-16,000 Starpoints.

The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa.

There are two other Starwood properties in Las Vegas: The Element Las Vegas Summerlin offers an off-the-Strip location in Summerlin (very convenient to Red Rock Canyon). This is a Category 4 property requiring 10,000 SPG points per night , while the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa provides a more relaxed atmosphere in the Lake Las Vegas area of the city, and is a Category 3 property for 7,000 SPG points a night.

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